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Andrew Vietze speaks about “Boon Island: A True Story of Mutiny, Shipwreck, and Cannibalism”

This much we know: a corpse washed up on the shores of Maine on New Year’s Day, 1711, covered in sores and wasted by malnutrition. Several days later, the dead man’s hapless shipmates were rescued from a tiny,barren piece of rock just miles from the coast. At least one member of the party had died on the rock and been cannibalized by the others. But how did the crew of the Nottingham Galley come to such a dire pass? The ship’s captain, John Deane, gave a straight-forward account of bad weather and worse luck. But his crew had a different, more sinister
story to tell.

Meticulously researched and engagingly told, Boon Island: A True Story of Mutiny, Shipwreck, and
Cannibalism provides new insight into one of history’s most notorious shipwrecks and enduring mysteries.

About the authors
Andrew Vietze is an award-winning writer from Maine. The former Managing Editor of Down East:The
Magazine of Maine, he’s the author of six previous books and has written for a wide array of print and online publications, from Time Out New York to Weather.com, the New York Times’ LifeWire to Offshore. A Registered Maine Guide, he works as a seasonal ranger in one of the premier wilderness areas in the east.

Stephen Erickson holds an MA in American history from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and has completed PhD course work in Early American History at the College of William and Mary. He lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

This summer, Portland Public Library is teaming up with the Portland Museum of Art for select Brown Bag Lectures to offer three afternoons of literature, art, and discussion. Portland Public Library’s Brown Bag Lecture Series features reading and question-and-answer sessions with authors from Maine and afar. On these select Wednesdays, start at the Library and join the author lectures, then head to the Portland Museum of Art* for free admission and a tour of works that relate to the themes in the books. Conversation continues with tea and cookies at the PMA Café.

Portland Public Library’s Brown Bag Lecture Series features bi-weekly reading and question-and-answer sessions with authors from around the nation as well as those who hail from right here in Maine.

All Brown Bag Lectures are free to the public (unless specifically noted as a fundraiser). Because they usually take place over the lunch hour, guests are encouraged to bring their lunch; coffee provided by Coffee By Design. Special thanks to our Brown Bag Lecture Series coffee sponsor, Coffee by Design, and welcome to our new refreshment sponsor, Whole Foods. Books on sale at each lecture courtesy of Longfellow Books, who generously donates a portion of the proceeds to the Portland Public Library. Questions about our Brown Bag Lectures or to be added to our weekly calendar e-mail, please send us an e-mail.